The Lion King IV: Pride War
by Kivuline
Summary: With Zira's defeat, the Pridelands are in a time of peace. No one could expect the change that would come when Timon and Pumbaa show up with a couple of lion cubs.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is a prompted story from Emolichic1. I am not leaving my other story, just gonna work on whatever comes to mind at the time so no idea currently on which will be updated more regularly. I am open to other prompts for shows/movies mentioned on my profile and others if I know of them. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King.**

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Timon awoke to a faint roaring sound and lifted his head from Pumbaa's stomach. "Geez, buddy, what did you eat?" He asked. He heard the sound again and realized it wasn't Pumbaa after all, and if lions were regularly in the jungle he would think it was a lion. Maybe he was dreaming. He curled back up to sleep again and had almost back asleep when he heard the roar again, this time slightly louder.

"Pumbaa, wake up!" He said, as loudly as he dared with lions potentially roaming around.

"Huh? Wha?" Pumbaa rolled over, forcing Timon to scramble out of the way.

"Watch where you're going! And I thought I heard a lion roaring."

"It's probably just someone from Simba's pride, and they should know where to find us if they're looking for us."

"That's my point! They wouldn't come wandering through here roaring, and if they were hunting us then they're doing a horrible job of it." Timon exclaimed, pacing back and forth in front of Pumbaa.

"Alright, alright, if you wanted to go check why didn't you just say so?" Pumbaa sighed.

Timon climbed onto the warthog's back and directed him towards where he'd last heard the sound. Another roar sounded, this time weaker but clearly the roar of a lion in pain. Pumbaa sped up, moving more determinedly now that he'd heard the roar as well. The duo arrived in a small clearing to find a light tan lioness bleeding heavily with two cubs beside her.

"Please… Leave me, just save my cubs." She pleaded, stretching a paw towards the pair. "Please…" The lionesses's eyes glazed over and her paw fell, forming a small dust cloud around it.

The cubs has their noses pressed into the fur of her belly, searching for milk, blissfully unaware of their mothers death. One had the same coloring as his mother and a dark brown tuft of fur on his head and another at the end of his tail. The other had strikingly similar coloring to Kiara with light golden fur and a brown tail tuft a few shades lighter than her brothers. Timon and Pumbaa couldn't see their eyes since the cubs wouldn't open them for a few days yet.

"Well that was, uh, sudden." Timon said shakily, stunned by what they had just witnessed.

"We gotta help them Timon! We can't just leave them out here all alone, they'll die!" Pumbaa fretted, sitting down to think.

Timon jumped to the ground and started pacing. "What would we do with them? We certainly can't raise them, not our own at least."

"We raised Simba."

"Simba was different, he wasn't a newborn and didn't need to live off milk. Plus, he was older. They'd be so confused if they opened their eyes and saw us first."

"Well then what if take them to Simba?"

"That's a crazy idea, Pumbaa it would never work. Wait a minute! What if we take them to Simba?! Kiara and Kovu could raise them, and there'd be a whole pride of lions to help! Problem solved!"

"That's what I just said-"

"Why are you always trying to take credit for my ideas? If we travel fast we should be able to make it there before we lose them, and they look strong enough to make the journey. We'd better get going."

Pumbaa sighed and followed Timon over to the lion cubs, trying not to look at their mother's body. He laid down so Timon could get the cubs on his back and waited until the meerkat had climbed up after them before standing back up. "You keep them steady, I don't want to drop them." The warthog said worriedly before starting towards Pride Rock.

The journey itself was rather uneventful. Pumbaa had to stop a few times so the cubs could be situated again, and Timon occasionally told him to slow down, but otherwise nothing really happened. The pair arrived at Pride Rock around around noon, just as Kalani, Kiara's best friend, was walking down the slope. The lioness stopped when she was the pair and her eyes widened once she noticed the two lion cubs.

"How did? Nevermind." She started to ask before turning to find Kiara following her.

The princess had a similar reaction to the sight and then came back to her senses. "Kalani, go find my parents and then ask Tamu if she'll nurse the cubs with her own for now."

Kalani nodded and ran off to do as her friend said. Kiara bounded over to Pumbaa to investigate the cubs and gently nudged them to make sure they were still alive. When each one tried to lift a paw towards her she backed away. "C'mon, bring them up here."

Pumbaa followed Kiara up the slope to higher area of Pride Rock where the den and the ledge where the king stood to address the Pridelands was. Kiara led them to the entrance of the den where Simba, Nala, Kalani, and Tamu were waiting. Kalani and Tamu each picked up a cub and returned to the den so Tamu could feed them.

"How did you two come across two newborn cubs?" Simba asked after hugging his old friends, although knowing the duo far stranger things could have happened.

Timon and Pumbaa told Simba the story of how they heard the dying lioness and her request before she died. "We thought that maybe Kiara and Kovu could raise them." Timon finished.

"Me?" Kiara asked as Kovu padded up beside her, drawn by the sound of his name.

"Well yeah. You don't have cubs and why not?" Timon shrugged.

Nala smiled. "Well we'll certainly take the cubs in, and if Kiara and Kovu want to be their adoptive parents that's fine with me. It's up to them what they want to do."

"Nala are you sure they're ready?" Simba asked.

"No… But we're still here and they have the rest of the pride's support to raise the cubs. Plus I don't think anyone is truly ever ready for cubs."

Kiara and Kovu looked between each other uncertainly and whispered back and forth before nodding in agreement. "We'd love to raise the cubs! Tamu would still need to feed them for me, but if you'll let us then we'll be their adoptive parents. Please Daddy?" Kiara said, turning to Simba at the end.

"Well… Alright, you mother does have a point. I don't see why not. Pumbaa, Timon, did their mother give them names before she died?"

Timon shook his head. "Just asked to us to leave her and save the cubs."

"Then I guess you two will get to pick their names." Nala said to Kiara and Kovu who beamed in response.

"Thank you!" Kiara exclaimed before bounding into the den to find Tamu. Kovu echoed a thanks and then followed her.

Tamu looked up from admiring the newborn cubs that joined her own at her belly when Kiara and Kovu approached and smiled. "I overheard the conversation. Come to name the little ones?"

Kovu nodded. "Thank you Tamu." He said before turning to Kiara. "I think since there's two we each get to name one. I'll name the boy and you name the girl?"

"That works fine for me, I was thinking her name should be Ari." Kiara said sitting down to admire her adopted children.

"That's a beautiful name for her. I think we should name the boy Niku." Kovu said, sitting beside Kiara.

Tamu smiled up at them, "If you want my opinion, I think those are perfect names for them."

"Then Niku and Ari it is!" Kiara announced proudly.

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 **AN: This would've been a lot less frustrating to write if my autocorrect would stop autocapitalizing cubs… Hope you enjoyed and any constructive criticism if much appreciated! Reviews make me smile and help motivate me to update!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I am so, so, sorry it took me so long to update. I'm very forgetful sometimes. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Emolichic1: Thank you!**

 **Chillpillberry: Thank you!**

 **Futureheiress: Here's the update!**

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"She did what?!" Terron roared at the dark furred lioness in front of him.

"She ran off. I thought she was asleep and went to get a drink, and when I came back she was gone." Kivuli growled, baring her teeth at her mate.

"You were supposed to be watching her!"

"And I was! But watching someone sleep is horribly boring, but I suspect you'd know that."

"That doesn't matter! You were given one simple job. To watch her until she had her cubs and then if they looked healthy you were to take them and leave her! How hard is that?"

"It's not, I just don't see the point in why those particular cubs are so important to you. They're not even yours. Plus you have me, unless you decided I'm no longer suitable." Kivuli sat down and tilted her head to the side, watching him.

"Irrelevant. The sooner I have a heir ready to take over in my place if needed the better, everything will just take longer now." Terron growled, pointedly ignoring her.

"Why? It's not like you're sick or anything, unless you just neglected to tell me. So what's the big rush, hmm?"

"The pride is growing, we'll need more land soon and if I die fighting for it I want my line to continue."

"If you'd taken her cubs they wouldn't even have been your line anyway, so why?"

"Because they would still have been raised by us to follow in my pawprints! The actual parentage of the child is irrelevant!" Terron snapped, spinning to face Kivuli.

Kivuli sighed and laid down, rolling over to look up at him. "You need to control your temper."

"I don't have a temper!"

"Whatever you say, your majesty." She responded teasingly.

He glared down at her and she smiled. The two stared at each other like this for a moment until Kivuli got bored and rolled over to stand back up. Terron stopped her from standing and she looked up at him again.

"What?" She asked.

"You are, never mind. Just go." He shook his head and backed up a few paces to let her leave. She shrugged and flicked his nose with her tail as she walked by.

"You'll have an heir soon though you know. If you actually let me rest so it doesn't die that is." Kivuli said over her shoulder.

"What?" Terron demanded.

"Oh, did I not mention? I'm pregnant. It's yours of course. I suppose I forgot to tell you, but that's why I was so grumpy about having to watch little miss what's her face."

"If I'd known then I would've had someone else watch her!"

"So you'd still want to have stolen her cubs too, hmm?"

"I am the one in charge here, and I'll do what I want, Kivuli. Go get some rest." Terron sighed dismissively. Kivuli glared at him and padded away.

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A few days had passed since Timon and Pumbaa arrived with Niku and Ari, and the two cubs seemed to be doing well. Rafiki had come by to check Tamu and her cub and checked Niku and Ari as well. All the cubs were healthy and growing normally. Tamu's cub, being slightly older, had started to wander around and Kiara had taken to staying nearby to help Tamu watch them all.

Rina, Tamu's daughter and an adorable little golden-furred lioness, was more confused by her newfound siblings than anything. She understood that they weren't actually her mother's, but she wasn't sure why Kiara didn't feed them if they were supposed to be hers. Although she supposed it didn't matter much so long as the two would be old enough to play soon. She was getting bored being the only cub and there's was only so long she could chase other lion's tails before it wasn't fun for a while.

"Miss Kiara? When can Niku and Ari play with me?" Rina asked with a sweet smile.

"Soon, little one. You have to be patient." Kiara replied.

"I don't like being patient." Rina sighed, curling up beside Kiara. Tamu was taking a nap and Rina didn't want to wake her, so joining the other cubs and Kiara seemed smartest.

"You'll get used to it some day."

Niku batted at Rina's tail in his sleep as it tickled his nose and sneezed, waking himself up. "Riri, stoppit." He murmured, shifting away from her tail.

"Sorry!" Rina squeaked. She hadn't meant to wake him up, after all it wouldn't do her any good for him to be awake. Kiara probably still wouldn't let him play for another couple days.

Kiara looked up when a shadow fell across her from the den's entrance and smiled when Kovu appeared. Her smile faded slightly when Vitani appeared from behind him. Surprisingly she hadn't tried anything while she'd been here. Kovu insisted that she, like him, had changed and could be better despite Zira's influence, but Kiara wasn't so sure. She supposed she had to give her a chance though, it had been a couple months at least and nothing had gone wrong, and beyond what Kovu said was normal for Vitani she hadn't seemed suspicious at all.

"Kiara, you awake there?" Kovu asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, sorry, was just thinking." Kiara smiled after shaking her head to clear it.

"Sorry for bothering you, I just wanted to get to see my little niece and nephew." Vitani said, moving to stand by her brother.

Kiara looked between the cubs, Vitani, and Kovu who gave her a nod of encouragement. Kiara paused a moment longer before nudging Niku and Ari.

"I know you're both awake, little ones, you have a visitor. Niku, Ari, this is your Aunt Vitani." Kiara said softly with a nod in Vitani's direction.

Niku looked up first and studied Vitani curiously for a second. "Aunt Tani?" He asked carefully. When she smiled and nodded he grinned and scrabbled to his feet to stumble over to her. "Hi Aunt Tani!" He exclaimed before tripping over his own paws and running into her leg.

"Careful there, Niku!" Vitani laughed, laying down opposite Kiara so Niku was between them.

"Hi Tani!" Rina bounded up to her and head butted her happily. She's met Vitani before and remembered liking her.

Ari, unlike Niku and Rina, felt no need to leave the safety of her mother. She lifted a paw slightly to wave uncertainly but otherwise showed no interest in meeting Vitani.

Vitani seemed surprised by the affection from the two cubs who did come to see her and smiled first at them and then Kiara. "They're wonderful, Kiara. I hope Ari isn't scared of me or anything."

Kiara shook her head. "I doubt it, she'll just need to get used to you."

Vitani and Kiara both turned at the sound of Tamu shifting and waking up. "Well, Vitani, if the cubs like you so much then you might get to help us watch them." She suggested.

Vitani's eyes went wide and she looked between the two mothers uncertainly. "I'm not sure that's the best idea, I don't know how to-" Niku and Rina's pleas cut her off and she glanced down at them curiously.

"Please, Aunt Tani! It would be fun!" Niku whined.

"Yeah! And you could take us on adventures!" Rina exclaimed.

"I guess it would be fun too" Ari added quietly.

Vitani looked between for a moment before nodding. "I guess I will then. But no adventures unless your mothers agree, got it?" She said sternly. The three cubs nodded agreement.

"I suppose it's settled then." Kiara told Vitani.

"Yes, I suppose so."

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 **AN: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Once again I am very sorry I didn't update for so long. Feel free to leave me any constructive criticism and as always reviews are appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: As you may have noticed I am super easily distracted and typically busy, so hence the long periods of time between updates. Sorry. Anyways I hope you enjoy!**

 **LionKingIsAwesome: Thank you!**

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Rina laughed and dodged as Niku jumped at her. He skidded a little when he missed and turned to face her again. He growled playfully and crouched down to pounce again, his tail flicking from side to side. He pounced again and the two cubs rolled for a moment until Rina pinned him and grinned before letting him up again.

"Aw, Riri, I thought I had you that time!" Niku pouted.

Rina shrugged and smiled at him "you're too slow."

"Nu-uh, you just keep tricking me!"

"You're just upset cause you're slow!"

"Aw c'mon, you must be using some trick to pin him every time." Ari protested from where she'd been watching. "I can't pin him."

"There's no trick. I'm just better at it." Rina responded proudly.

"Really?" Ari asked curiously. While she'd been talking to Rina, Niku had slipped around behind her and pounced again. The two rolled until Niku successfully pinned the older cub and laughed before letting her back up.

"Sneak attacks don't count!" Rina giggled, sitting back up.

Vitani, who had been watching the cubs play by the watering hole, smiled at them and shook her head. "Sneak attacks always count, they're very important."

The cubs trotted back to her and sat down in front of her curiously. Statements like that normally lead to stories, and while the cubs didn't really understand the whole Outlanders thing very well, they liked the stories. Rina had seen how some of the older lionesses looked at Vitani though and was inclined to believe the stories were true. Niku and Ari hadn't noticed, but the looks had stopped the more time Vitani spent with them over the past month, so the younger two hadn't had as much time to notice.

"Ok, this story's a bit shorter than some of the others. You three ready?" Vitani asked. She chuckled when she was answered with a chorus of yeses and began her story. "All right, so Zira was running another drill with some of the lionesses and she'd put us on teams. I was the leader of one and she was the leader of the other. The prize for the winning team was food, and if you were pinned then you were out."

"But what if you tripped and got pinned?" Ari asked curiously.

"You're out. Next time you won't trip. Zara never believed in letting little slip ups like that slide. But anyway, sunhigh had come and gone, and Zira and I were down to ourselves and a couple lionesses on each side. I'd sent mine ahead to scout and was hiding behind a pile of rocks. I peeked out to look, and they'd just taken out her two lionesses, but one of them got pinned in the process. The next thing I knew, Zira had leapt at my last lioness and the two went rolling." She paused for a moment.

"And she won cause of a sneak attack?" Rina asked curiously.

"Are you kidding? Aunt Tani always wins in her stories!" Ari protested.

"Well now I feel predictable." Vitani frowned. "How do I know you like my stories if you always know the outcome?"

"Cause they're still fun!" Niku jumped to his feet excitedly. The two girls agreed immediately and Rina pulled Niku back down so he'd sit. They all looked up at Vitani expectantly and she smiled again.

"Alright, where was I? Oh yes, so the two went rolling and I thought maybe my lioness would win, but I took the opportunity to sneak around the rocks for a better view. The dust cleared, and Zira had pinned her. Her back was to me, and it was my last chance to win the drill for my team. I pounced, and we tumbled past the other lionesses as they scrambled out of the way. She was stronger, but I had the element of surprise. I managed to pin her, and won the drill, but since it was only a drill she kicked me back off of her. But, had I not gotten her with a sneak attack, my team would have lost because she was stronger. Sneak attacks totally count." Vitani finished.

"See Riri? I got ya and it counts!" Niku declared triumphantly.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess." Rina rolled her eyes before smiling at them again.

Ari shrugged "you're welcome for distracting her, Niku."

"Thank you!" He responded, looking up when Kiara padded over to them. "Hi, Mama!" He bounded over to her with Ari close behind.

Kiara smiled down at the cubs as they ran around her paws, each trying to get her attention. Rina curled up beside Vitani to watch them and rested her chin on the lioness's front paw. Niku ran into Ari and sent her rolling into Kiara's leg and then sat down in front of his mother. Kiara helped Ari steady herself and sat down to watch them.

"Hi dears, is Vitani telling you stories again?" Kiara chuckled.

"Yeah! About sneak attacks!" Ari exclaimed. Kiara looked at them all curiously and Vitani shrugged.

"Well I'm sure she had a wonderful story about sneak attacks." Kiara smiled. Vitani nodded and Rina padded over to watering hole to get a drink. "Anyways, the hunting party was about to move out if you still wanted to join them, Vitani, I came to take the cubs off your paws." Kiara added.

"Oh! I almost forgot, last track of the time I guess, but I definitely want to go. I'll go catch up to them" Vitani exclaimed, standing up suddenly. "Bye for now, cubs, I'll see you after the hunt, ok?"

Vitani was greeted by a chorus of sorrowful pleading for her to stay and then gentle scolding from Kiara. The cubs reluctantly agreed and sat down beside Kiara to watch Vitani bound off to catch up to the hunting party.

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Kivuli lay tiredly on her side and looked up at Terron, hoping to see a pleased reaction. She hadn't seen her cub yet, but she knew he could see it and it's survival depended on him being happy with it. If he didn't approve of the cub, she'd have to beg him to let it leave, and while she was normally persuasive enough to convince him to do what she asked, she was much too tired right now to bother trying. She pushed herself up a little to be able to see her cub and smiled slightly at the little male by her side. The cub was white with a small black tuft of fur on his head, black rings around his ears, a black nose, and a black tail tuft. His eyes were closed and would remain closed for a few days. Kivuli looked up at Terron again to find him sitting beside her with a small smile on his face.

"Do you have your heir?" She murmured hopefully.

"Yes, he'll make a wonderful heir." Terron nodded approvingly.

"What's his name?" Kivuli asked, flopping back down to let the cub nurse.

"Gazi. His name is Gazi."

"Gazi, our little prince." Kivuli purred, feeling rather pleased with herself. Her cub would live, be the future king, and her place as queen would remain unquestionably hers as the mother of the prince. Even Terron, despite his normal mood, appeared happy and laid down across from her to watch his family.

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 **AN: Thank you for reading and as always constructive criticism is always appreciated! Reviews make me smile and feel free to PM me if you want, I'll answer!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'd apologize for the wait again but this is just how it goes with me... Anyways, here's a new chapter! I hope you enjoy!**

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Gazi stalked through the tall savannah grass, watching one of his pride's lionesses in the distance. He was about a month and a half old now, and the biggest problem that faced him was his unique white fur standing out against the savannah. The sun was low in the sky and had just begun to rise. His father, Terron, had sent the lionesses out to hunt. His mother, Kivuli, had decided to lead the hunt today and left him to be watched by another lioness named Kigeni. The tan lioness blended in with the savannah beautifully, and she'd taken it upon herself to try and help him with stalking. However, in her opinion it wasn't going very well so far.

Kigeni had her back to Gazi and to his belief was unaware of him. In truth she could hear him moving through the grass and was sure that if she turned to look that she'd be able to see him as well. However, if he could learn to move silently then he could work on the visual part later. Kigeni flicked her tail back and forth, studying her claws. She frowned at her claws on her left paw. She needed to sharpen them. Her ears flicked back as she heard Gazi step on a twig and she set her paw back down. She rolled to the side suddenly and he landed in a cloud of dust where she'd just been. He turned to look at her angrily and she shrugged indifferently. It wasn't her fault that he was making noise.

"How did you know?" He growled at her, digging his claws into the ground.

Kigeni sat down and looked down at him with a frown, not approving of his anger. "You were making too much noise. Not only would I have seen you if I turned around, but you were too loud. I knew exactly where you were the entire time."

"But I was quiet!"

"If you had been quiet I wouldn't have heard you kick a rock earlier, or step on a twig. So you were clearly not quiet."

"You just want-"

"To help you? Yes. You stay here, I'll sneak up on you so you can know how it's done. Don't wander too far away." Kigeni replied, returning to her paws and slinking away silently, tail flicking slightly from side to side.

Gazi glared after the lioness and padded away in the opposite direction. He'd show her who wasn't quiet enough. She'd have to find him if she wanted to prove whatever it was to him. He didn't really care. After all, he was the prince. Just because she was older didn't mean she had any control over him at all, she was just a random lioness. The only lioness with any power was his mother.

Gazi became lost in his thoughts until he spotted a trio of other cubs in the distance. He growled and crouched down. What were they doing in his territory? He crept forward, watching the cubs curiously. He could tell they were all older than him, but not how much older. There were two females, and one male. They obviously weren't part of his pride. He knew all of his pride. They were getting closer. He waited until one of them had their back to him and then pounced, knocking over the smaller of the two female cubs.

"Hey!" Ari squealed trying to kick the strange white furred cub off of her as they went rolling. Rina and Niku ran after them and knocked the cub away from Ari.

Gazi rolled to his feet and spun to face them, growling, with his tail lashing back and forth. "Who are you and why are you in my territory?"

Ari ran to hide behind her brother and Rina, more shocked than actually injured. "Your territory?" Niku growled, stepping forward. "You aren't part of our pride!"

"Your pride? You aren't part of my pride!" Gazi snapped, leaping at Niku with his claws unsheathed. The two cubs went rolling, each trying to pin the other until they were scared apart by a roar.

"What's going on here?" Kiara demanded, bounding out of the grass with Vitani running up behind her.

The male cubs split apart, each bleeding from very minor scratches. Gazi shrank away, not recognizing either of the lionesses across from him. None of the lionesses in his pride had blue eyes and bangs, and while there were a couple that looked similar to the other, he couldn't place her either. He was starting to think that maybe he was the one wrong here. He frowned and sat down defiantly.

"I'm defending my territory." He declared, ignoring that the blue eyed lioness had started laughing while the other checked on the other cub.

"Your territory?" Vitani questioned once she stopped laughing. Kiara had picked up Niku and taken him back a little ways. Rina and Ari had moved to hide behind Vitani while Kiara licked Niku's scratches.

Gazi jumped when a paw suddenly appeared on either side of him from behind. He looked up to find Kigeni standing behind him.

"I'm very sorry about my son, we're traveling home and he's convinced that everything belongs to him. I hope he hasn't caused any problems." Kigeni told the other lionesses.

Gazi glared up at her "but you aren't-" he got cut off by her shushing him.

"You're being rude. Let Mommy talk and clear up your foolishness." She scolded.

Vitani glanced back at Kiara curiously and shrugged. Something about these two didn't seem right to her.

"He jumped on me!" Ari pouted from beside Kiara, having gone back to her mother. Rina had stayed with Vitani and was watching the strange cub angrily with her tail lashing back and forth.

"And then we were fighting cause I wanted to protect Ari!" Niku added looking up at his mother. Kiara nodded and looked up at Kigeni and Gazi again.

"It seems we only have a misunderstanding. I understand how cubs can be. Do you need any help on your journey home?" She asked gently.

Kigeni smiled but shook her head. "No, thank you, I think we'll be fine. Again, I am sorry this happened, we were playing a game and he wandered off… I suppose we'll be on our way now. Thank you for understanding." Kigeni replied, turning to leave and nudging Gazi along with her.

Kiara watched them go, somewhat worriedly, but trusting that the strange lioness knew what she was doing. It occurred to her a bit too late that she should have asked their names. Vitani padded back to her with Rina following close behind.

"They seemed sketchy." Vitani muttered.

"It was just a misunderstanding, Tani, lighten up." Kiara shrugged, starting to usher the cubs home.

"Maybe. But think about it, last time a strange cub ended up in the Pridelands and was closely followed by their mother, it was Kovu. Which may have worked out well in the end, but it did lead to a war." Vitani sighed, following the others.

"True, but there's not even another pride nearby really. If there was, dad would've said something."

"Unless he didn't know."

"Now you're just worrying for the sake of worrying."

"I think it's reasonable and I'm surprised you aren't. They're your cubs, y'know."

"I know, but I think worrying at this point is a bit paranoid. I'll tell mom and dad and see what they think, but it really could just be a mom and her son passing through."

"Then where's the kid's dad?"

"I don't know. Maybe they got separated? Just don't worry about it, Vitani." Kiara shrugged, bounding up the slope to overhanging part of Pride Rock. Vitani followed her reluctantly and went to sit at the edge of the rock, looking over the Pridelands and wondering if the lioness was telling the truth or not.

* * *

"Why'd you tell them that you're my mother? You aren't my mother, you're just some random lioness that mom made watch me!" Gazi demanded once they were out of earshot.

"Do you really think they'd like the idea of another pride nearby? They wouldn't. This way, they won't be suspicious. So stop looking angry. You may be the prince, but you don't know how to make important decisions about these things. Not yet." Kigeni replied, continuing to walk.

"Oh, and you do?" Gazi rolled his eyes.

"More so than you. Also, that's how you stalk properly. You had no idea I was there until I chose to let you know."

"You saw me go after them? Why didn't you stop me then if you know so much more than me?"

"I wanted to see how well you did on your own. You did not do well on your own. But now you've learned. And you'll get better."

Gazi sighed and nodded reluctantly.

"Now, let's go find your mother, shall we?"

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 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! I'm slowly getting longer slightly longer chapters and I hope to keep making chapters longer so they're more worth the wait. As always leave a review, they make me smile! Feel free to PM too if you have any questions or requests!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: With summer being here I am hoping to update more often, and with any luck chapters will get longer as well. Hope you enjoy!**

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"Kigeni, how could you let him get away from you like that? You know that them not knowing we're here is important!" Terron snarled at the lioness.

"That's why I told them he was mine and we were just passing through. They seemed to believe it." Kigeni shrugged.

"That's irrelevant! Either way they know that someone is nearby, and who's to say they won't get suspicious?"

"Then maybe you should teach your son not to go and interact with random lions. If he hadn't attacked the girl then-" Kigeni was cut off by Terron smacking her in the face, throwing her off balance from the shock and force, and causing her to fall. She stared up at him, terrified. "I-I-I'm sorry…" she gasped.

"You have no right to talk to me like that! So you had better be sorry. Because the next time you talk back to me, I'll use my claws." Terron snarled before stalking away, his tail lashing back and forth agitatedly.

Kigeni scrabbled back to her paws and crouched there trying to catch her breath. None of the lionesses nearby came to help her, they were too scared Terron would come after them too. Once Kigeni had caught her breath she backed away and then turned to run a little ways away from the others. She wanted space to think. She laid down with a huff in the grass nearby, her tail lashing back and forth agitatedly.

 _I was only trying to help teach his idiotic son. What gives him the right to be mad at me? Oh right, he's the king and I have to do what he says and blah, blah, blah. It's not my fault that Gazi doesn't listen. Maybe if he wasn't such a spoiled brat…_

 _He isn't even being trained to fight yet, let alone hunt! My attempt to teach him how to be stealthy should be appreciated. Cub's about as quiet as a stampede sometimes… Certainly doesn't help that he stands out like one. I would think-_

"Kigeni?" Kivuli said gently, sitting down beside the tan lioness.

Kigeni lifted her head to look up at the dark furred lioness, trying not to look annoyed considering Kivuli was queen. "Yes?"

"I just wanted to let you know that even if Terron is mad at you, I appreciate you working with Gazi and taking him for the day. You did your best, and I know he can be a pawful sometimes, but you got him out of trouble with the Pridelanders as well. Had it not been for you, the entire plan could have been ruined today."

Kigeni paused for a moment, studying her queen. Part of her was thrilled to be praised by Kivuli, but another part of her was doubtful that what she was being told was true. "Terron seems to have the opposite opinion."

Kivuli sighed. "This isn't some elaborate trick to get you to say something against him. Trust me, he can be rough sometimes too. But that's only because this means a lot to him. He might not see it now, but he'll realize that your actions prevented Gazi from ruining everything. At least, I hope he'll realize eventually."

Kigeni considered this for a moment before nodding and smiling at her queen. "Thank you, my queen, your approval means a lot to me."

"You're welcome." Kivuli smiled back before leaving Kigeni alone to think.

* * *

Rina and Ari sat in the corner of the cave by themselves, talking quietly. Niku had gone to the watering hole with Kiara and Vitani was outside, thinking.

"He was kinda interesting, I wish his mom hadn't made him leave. He could've been our friend" Ari sighed.

"You're ridiculous. He attacked you!" Rina protested.

"Yeah, but still. He was confused. And we didn't even get their names."

"Ari, you're silly. It doesn't matter. We aren't gonna see them again."

"But what if we did? They could be our friends! They seemed nice enough." Ari pouted.

"What are you two talking about?" Vitani asked curiously, padding up to them and sitting down.

"Nothing." Ari sighed.

"Liar! We were talking about the cub and his mom from earlier. Ari thinks they could have been friends and is pouting cause we don't know their names." Rina explained.

"Aww, did you think he was cute?" Vitani teased, smiling at Ari.

"No! Ew! I just thought having another friend would be cool. Geez, Aunt Tani!" Ari protested.

The little cub got up and walked away only to pulled back by Vitani. Vitani ruffled the cub's fur, earning another protest. Rina headbutted Vitani and the lioness flopped onto her side playfully.

"Oh, you've got me," Vitani exclaimed, laughing when Niku suddenly jumped onto her as well. Ari crawled up onto her so the three cubs were pinning her down. Kiara sat down beside Vitani and smiled.

"You get along with them really well," Kiara noted. She honestly hadn't expected Vitani to get along with the cubs so well. She wasn't sure that any of them had. Helping to take care of the cubs was definitely improving the rest of the pride's opinion of her. They were still struggling to trust her before because of her closeness to Zira, even though she didnt mean any harm now. They seemed to think that no one who was that close to the cubs could possibly still be bad.

"Thank you" Vitani smiled, gently pushing the cubs off herself and sitting up. Niku yawned and went to curl up beside Kiara who smiled down at him. Ari curled up beside him and Rina went to curl up beside her mother, Tamu, who had been taking a nap a little ways away. They'd had a long day after all. Kiara laid down across from Vitani.

"You're welcome. They like you a lot." Kiara looked down at her cubs for a moment, watching them drift to sleep.

"I know. Are you sure that we shouldn't have looked into that lioness and her cub more? They really did seem off to me." Vitani frowned worriedly.

Kiara sighed and shook her head. "You're worrying too much. It'll be fine, Tani. Trust me."

"I do, but if they're asleep I think I'm gonna go for a walk. Make sure those two were telling the truth." Vitani decided, standing up and stretching.

"Promise you won't get into trouble?" Kovu asked, padding up to them and laying down beside Kiara. He'd overheard their conversation when he walked into the cave. Kiara had already told him about earlier.

"I promise Vu, they won't see me. You know I'm good at staying hidden" Vitani grinned before padding out of the cave and bounding down the rocks.

Kovu and Kiara watched her go worriedly. They both knew that she was good at stealth and would be careful, but that didn't mean she wouldn't get into trouble somehow.

Vitani ran back to where they'd been before and scented the air to track where the two strange lions from before had gone. She located their trail and sunk down to hide in the grass before slinking forwards, following their trail. For a while it seemed that the two had been telling the truth and Vitani was about to go back when she picked up a different scent. More specifically, multiple different scents. There'd been more lionesses here. Vitani glanced around to find that she was near an area of the Outlands now.

Vitani growled and slunk forwards a little more, trying to see if she would actually be able to see anyone else. She was embarrassingly taken off guard and sent rolling when the lioness from before tackled her.

"What are you doing here? Why did you follow me?" Kigeni growled, leaving her claws unsheathed and barely touching Vitani's fur.

"Look, I was suspicious! You seemed dodgy, I wanted to look into it! If you can explain to me-" Vitani started only to stop when she saw more lionesses start to appear. She fought off panic and kicked Kigeni off of her and backed away, teeth bared. "None of you are supposed to be here." She growled fearfully.

"Oh, but aren't we? You've left the edges of your precious Pridelands." Another lioness snarled. The lionesses surrounding Vitani began to advance towards her.

"But you…" Vitani started, continuing to back away. One of them leapt at her and she dodged, spinning to race back to Pride Rock. She could hear them following her. She hadn't even realized earlier that she'd crossed the border. It was just barely, but still. She crossed the border again and stopped when she heard a roar behind her and a turned to see a large male lion with a black mane who appeared to be yelling at the lionesses. Vitani couldn't quite hear what was being said, but seeing him terrified her. If Simba and Kovu had known that another pride was this close surely they would have said something. After all, their scents were really close to the border. Surely they would've noticed this when they patrolled before?

Vitani watched them, terrified that they would still follow her. A couple took a few steps towards her but the male snapped at them again. Vitani turned and ran, sprinting back to Pride Rock. She had to tell the others.

* * *

 **AN: Thank you for reading and as always reviews make me smile and any helpful criticism you may have is appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**So this has been a really long wait because I procrastinate a lot and lack motivation... I hope everything that happens in this chapter makes up for it! I also hope it doesn't seem too rushed... I'm still working on trying to find balance.**

 **Emolichic1: thanks!**

 **Guest: Kion will not be in this story unless he comes in later after returning from some journey. I don't watch the Lion Guard much and I'll rarely use those characters in my stories.**

* * *

Vitani raced back through the Pridelands, the ever-fainter roars of the strange lions seeming to echo behing her. She could barely breathe, but she didn't stop. She was terrified that if she did that they would attack her again. She glanced back, relieved to see that they weren't following her. Pride Rock was visible in the distance. She hadn't realized she'd gone so far away. She stopped running, unable to run any farther, and panted for breath.

"Gotta. Warn. The. Pride." Vitani gasped, padding forward slowly. She finally reached the base of Pride Rock and began the easy climb up the rocky ramp.

"Vitani? What happened to you?" Kiara exclaimed worriedly, darting up to the other lioness. She'd left the cubs in the den with Tamu, who had woken up while Vitani was gone.

"The lioness another pride where's Simba?" Vitani replied quickly, her words running together as she looked around wildly.

"Hey, calm down, Tani, I'll help you find dad," Kiara frowned, going to where she'd last seen Simba a few minutes before.

By the time the two found Simba, Vitani had managed to calm down a little but she refused to tell Kiara what happened until they found her father.

"What's going on? Vitani, what's wrong?" Simba frowned as the two lionesses raced up to him.

"There's another pride. At the border. I was attacked." Vitani said quickly. "It was the lioness Kiara and I met earlier. She pinned me down after I crossed the border. I kicked her off but I was surrounded by other lionesses. We would've ended up in a fight if this other lion hadn't shown up and started yelling at them. I ran." She explained.

"Perhaps it's just a misunderstanding. If you could take me to them I'm sure we can work this out. Maybe they just need some food or are traveling to a new home." Simba suggested.

"You don't understand! Simba, this lion did not look like the reasonable type. And there's no way they just want food or something. The lioness we met earlier said she and her son were alone and traveling home. It's a stretch to say she coincidentally just met them right after that! And if she had, why would she fight for him so soon? Where was the cub? He wasn't there, Simba! You don't just meet a group of strange lions and wander off, leaving your cub with them for a while, even if it's just a few minutes! They-"

"Tani, calm down, it's gonna be all right, we'll figure it out." Kovu said gently, walking up behind his sister and his mate.

"I understand your concerns, Vitani. But we just got out of a war. You know that. I'd like to at least try to speak to them before we do anything else. We can warn the others before we leave, but I still think we should go and meet them."

"Simba's right, Tani, maybe we can offer them something to get them to leave us alone." Kovu nodded.

"Fine. Then when are we going?" Vitani sighed reluctantly. She didn't agree with them at all, but clearly there was no talking them out of this.

"As soon as we've told Nala and asked her if she'd like to join us. Kiara, would you go find your mother?" Simba replied, turning to Kiara as he finished speaking.

"Of course!" Kiara smiled before bounding off to the den where her mother was speaking quietly with Tamu while the cubs slept.

"Kiara, what was all that about?" Nala asked worriedly. She frowned as her daughter quickly explained.

"So do you wanna come with us?" Kiara finished.

"Of course. Let's get going," the queen replied, turning and striding out of the den to meet the others waiting for them.

"Tamu you don't mind-" Kiara started.

"Of course not, dear! We'll be just fine, you go on!" Tamu smiled, waving Kiara away with one paw.

"Thank you," Kiara smiled and glanced over at the cubs before following her mother.

"Lead the way, Vitani," Simba said once his mate and his daughter has both joined their little group.

Vitani nodded and for the second time that day began to make her way out to where she'd seen the strange lioness. She remembered the way now, she didn't need to follow any scents. As they grew closer and the sun started to set she started to get uneasy. Maybe they should've waited for morning. She paused hesitantly at the border, and the others padded up beside her.

"They were here… but I don't know where they might've gone. Should we even cross the border? That's how I got attacked before," Vitani fretted, her eyes darted back and forth over the grasslands in front of them.

"Oh, so you came back. I thought you would." Kigeni sighed, rising out of the grass.

Vitani growled, baring her teeth, but Kovu laid a paw on her shoulder. "Calm down, Tani." He whispered.

"Terron! They've shown up!" Kigeni yowled over her shoulder.

A large, dark maned lion appeared and stalked forwards followed by a strange dark furred lioness. The lion's brownish fur was strikingly similar to Kovu's, but otherwise there was nothing that stood out about him. Vitani was right though, he was very intimidating.

"So, you've decided to grace us with your presence, hmm, Simba?" He growled, sitting across from them.

"I've been told that one of your lionesses attacked Vitani," Simba replied dryly.

"Oh, yes, that was a misunderstanding. I'd told her to bring me Vitani so I could speak to her, not to attack her. I am Terron, this is my mate Kivuli, and this is Kigeni. You see, I'd heard that my son had become the prince of the Pridelands. So I've decided to come and lay a visit. And then, I saw how much the Pridelands had prospered since the last time I'd been here, so I've decided that I should rule beside my son. After all, he'll need someone to guide him, won't he?" Terron growled, pacing back and forth before the Pridelanders.

Kovu and Vitani stared at the lion before them with their jaws hanging open. It couldn't be. Him? Their father?

"How?" Vitani snarled, bristling as she glared at Terron.

"I'm sure you know."

"How did you meet Zira?" She snapped.

"Oh that! A few years ago I was passing through and she stopped me. She claimed I looked similar to her mate and king, Scar, and believed that I could give her a suitable heir. She returned to me later and told me that I did and that there was a son and a daughter. The son, she'd named Kovu. I named the daughter Vitani. The little demon of war." Terron smiled, narrowing his eyes and he looked at Vitani.

"No!" Vitani roared, leaping forward with outstretched claws. She was knocked aside by Kivuli and the two went rolling, clawing at each other's shoulders.

"Vitani!" Simba yelled. "Terron, stop this!"

"Stop what, Simba? She lived up to her name. Unless you'd like to fight instead?" Terron growled, crouching to pounce.

"No, Terron, we can talk through this!"

"Oh really?"

Vitani snarled and kicked Kivuli off of her and leapt over to her, pinning her down. She growled, holding the dark furred lioness down.

Terron turned with wide eyes, he didn't realize she was going to be able to take Kivuli on. "Vitani, let her up."

"Make me."

"Fine!" Terron snarled, barreling into his daughter.

Kovu just stared with wide eyes and a gaping jaw. He couldn't move. He was too shocked. Their father? He'd always known that Scar wasn't their father, but he'd never thought he'd meet their father. He was subconsciously aware that his sister was being attacked, but he couldn't convince himself to move. Kiara seemed equally stunned, and Nala had tried to help but was attacked by Kigeni instead.

Simba leapt at Terron, pushing him away from Vitani. Kivuli was on the ground, coughing, and Vitani scrabbled over to her brother, trying to catch her breath now that her father's weight was off her chest.

The two lions were a blur of claws and fangs. Simba got a few good hits in on Terron, tearing his ear and clawing his sides. Meanwhile, Terron had clawed Simba's face, side, and chest. Nala had beaten Kigeni, and pounced on Terron, sending him rolling away from her mate. He kicked her off and she helped Simba up enough for them to cross the border again.

At the sight of a bleeding Simba and Nala, Kiara and Kovu both finally came to their senses and helped the king and queen to get farther. Vitani snarled and leapt between her family and Terron. "Leave. Us. Alone."

"Oh, this is only the beginning, my dear. I hope you take this as a good lesson. Give me the Pridelands, or this will be war. And I will be victorious. My son and daughter may stay by my side, but the rest of you unwilling to obey me will be exiled or killed. Don't worry. I'll give you time to decide. You have one month, and that's me being generous. Keep it in mind, though, that the sooner you decide, the more merciful I will be." Terron growled, panting slightly. Kigeni had run away and Kivuli had forced herself to her paws to stand by her mate.

"Duly noted." Vitani muttered, wiping the blood dripping from a cut on her forehead away with her paw. She limped after the others, unsure how to feel.

Simba leaned heavily against Nala and Kovu who was supporting him on the other side. Kovu was still stunned, and Kiara had no idea what to think. She'd run ahead to fetch Rafiki to meet them at Pride Rock. None of them had expected this to lead to a fight this bad, or for Terron to threaten them with such a big decision.

* * *

 **So, I hope that made up for the wait a bit, and hopefully there won't be such a long wait between chapters this time... heh. As always reviews make me smile and I'd appreciate any constructive criticism I can get!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I don't have much to say here for once so…**

 **Guest: Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't want to use Kion in this story right now. He is in Vitani's Plan though.**

 **Emolichic1: Thanks!**

* * *

Kiara paced anxiously beside Rafiki at Pride Rock, waiting for the others to return. She'd not informed the Pride yet, so the rest of the lionesses were watching worriedly. Ari and Niku were trying to get to their mother but Tamu was determinedly keeping them away from the princess, not wanting them to stress her out more. Rina seemed to have a vague understanding of her mother's goal and had finally managed to draw the younger cubs away to play.

Rafiki murmured to himself as he mixed various herbs in his homemade bowls, creating the medicines that would help the lions once they arrived. He also had a couple that contained water for cleaning the wounds a bit.

Finally, Nala and Kovu appeared at the top of the path, supporting Simba between them. The king's mane had fallen into his eyes and he had multiple wounds on his sides and back. A shallow cut was on his stomach as well. He'd gotten lucky with that one. The fur of his mane around his neck was matted, but there didn't appear to be any wounds there luckily. He was limping and likely wouldn't have made it back alone.

Nala also had some scratches covering her body, but nothing too serious. It was clear that she'd won her battle by the bloodstains on her paws and jaw.

Vitani was also limping and at this point nearly dragging her back left leg. There was a nasty bite on it preventing her from putting her weight on it, and she'd insisted that her brother and Nala help Simba. Her right eye was also shut because of a cut that kept dripping blood above it, staining most of her face a reddish brown as the blood dried.

Kovu was unharmed, he'd been too shocked to fight.

The two helped Simba over to Rafiki where there carefully laid him down and stepped back. Nala sat down to start to clean her fur up a bit, keeping herself out of Rafiki's way. Kovu darted back to help his sister who for once accepted help, nearly collapsing once they made it a bit farther. Kovu helped her lay down and then sat beside her worriedly.

"Kiara, pass me the green one" Rafiki called, holding a hand backwards for it. Kiara grabbed the bowl and put it in his hand before going back to pacing worriedly. "Hush, princess, be still." He said, spreading the medicine on Simba's now clean wounds.

Kiara nodded and went to sit by Kovu. "Mom.. we need to tell the others what happened. They're worried." She said, turning to her mother who was still nearby.

"Yes, dear, I was going to go now, unless you would rather?" Nala, started to get up but paused.

Kovu stood up slowly, watching his sister worriedly. "I think I should, if I may. If it weren't for me and Tani… they wouldn't be doing this." Vitani batted at her brother's leg tiredly.

"Oh hush, fur ball, we'll work it out" she murmured, starting to close her eyes.

Rafiki looked over and frowned. "Hey! You stay awake now, you hear? Til I check you, yes?" He called, continuing to work on Simba.

"Crazy monkey…" Vitani murmured. Kiara gently nudged her to wake her up.

"I think I should still go with you Kovu, if that's ok. Kiara could you help Rafiki?" Nala said, pausing while Kovu padded over to her.

"Yes, Mom." Kiara nodded.

Nala and Kovu slowly walked into the den and sat down as the lionesses gathered around to listen. Tamu stayed where she was to keep an eye on the cubs, but she could still hear them from there.

"Um… hi everyone. So, what happened was… it's mine and Vitani's father. His name is Terron. He is the leader of another pride and he wants control over the Pridelands. He thinks that since I'm the prince, and I'm his son, that he has a claim over the Pridelands. He's given us a month to surrender. After that, if we don't, there will be war again. And if we surrender, anyone who tries to fight him would be killed or exiled. I'm sorry. If it weren't for me and Tani…" Kovu explained, trailing off at the end and looking down dejectedly.

Doa, a former outlander, padded up to Kovu and hugged him. "We'd have never gotten out of the Outlands if it wasn't for you, Kovu. And anything that happens, anywhere we have to go, if we have to go that is, it'll be better than there. We'll all make it. Together." She smiled and let go of him before darting back to join her sister, Mahali who nodded in agreement.

"Well said, Doa," Nala said with a slight smile. "The problem we face now is, can we come up with a compromise, do we go to war and spend this time preparing, or do we leave?" She added, her smile fading.

Murmurs filled the cave as the lionesses talked amongst themselves. "We just got out of a war."

"We can't just leave, we've been here for generations."

"We have some of the best fighters, we could win."

"Did you see Vitani? She's one of our best fighters and she-"

"And Simba…"

"We don't even know their numbers…"

"But where would we go?"

"We aren't going anywhere!"

"The animals wouldn't accept it. Maybe we could get some of them to help us?"

"Cause that's worked so well before…"

"That was hyenas, that's different!"

"Well I think-"

"Ladies! Ladies, please. We just wanted to inform you of the situation we are in. Please do think about it, but do not fight amongst yourselves. That's the last thing we need. If you have any particular suggestions, please come to talk to me. For now I ask that you let Simba rest and I promise we will tell you what the plan is once we figure it out, ok?" Nala called, raising her voice to be heard over the bickering that was starting to break out amongst the lionesses.

Silence filled the cave for a moment, only to be broken by the playful growls of the cubs in the back. A few lionesses smiled and the rest nodded to Nala. Nala and Kovu padded back out of the cave to see how Rafiki was doing. He had finished treating Simba, who was now asleep, and moved on to Vitani who kept flinching away from him.

"It wouldn't hurt so much if you'd stop poking it!" Vitani hissed, moving her left hind leg.

"It wouldn't hurt so much if you stopped moving it!" Rafiki retorted. "Kiara, hold her please."

Kiara paused for a moment before doing what Rafiki said. Kovu came over to join her and Vitani continued to mutter to herself irritatedly.

"You, make sure she stays off this leg. She needs rest." Rafiki said sternly to Kovu a few minutes later after treating Vitani's wounds.

"For how long?" He asked worriedly.

"Oh, a couple days. If she listens."

"Fine." Vitani muttered. If it was going to come to war then she needed to be up to train the lionesses. Her mother was crazy, yes, but she had excellent battle strategies.

Rafiki nodded, gave the others a few more instructions, gathered his things, and headed back home. Simba woke up long enough to be helped into the den, and Kovu carried Vitani into the den. The rest of the pride settled down a bit uncertainly, sorry filling the pride about what was the come.

Meanwhile, the cubs didn't have a care in the world. They were still scuffling with each other and rolling about. "Gotcha Riri!" Niku exclaimed triumphantly, pinning the older cub down.

"Niku, it's time for bed now, stop it" Rina whined, pushing him off of her.

"Aww, you're no fun."

"Niku, everyone seems really worried… and Aunt Tani looks really hurt." Ari whimpered, her ears drooping as she watched Kovu carry his sister into the den.

"Oh, you're right…" Niku frowned, standing beside his sister. "What happened?"

Ari, who had been paying attention, told the other two what happened. She looked down sadly. "I don't wanna leave here, but I don't want them to fight either. I don't know what's gonna happen. I'm scared."

"King Simba and Queen Nala will figure it out, I know it" Rina said, not sounding quite so confident.

"But what if they don't?"Ari whined.

Niku hugged his sister "it'll be ok, sis."

Ari clung to him, trying not to cry. Maybe this was her fault. She'd kinda found that cub before… what was his name again…? Gazi?

"What's going on over here?" Kiara asked, padding up to the cubs and sitting down worriedly.

"Momma I don't wanna leave!" Ari cried running over and burying her face in her mother's fur.

Kiara hugged Ari and Niku, who had come running over too, and tried to reassure them. "It'll be ok, dears, we'll figure it out. But you need to sleep. Come to bed, ok?" She said gently. The cubs nodded slowly and scampered over to where Kovu was already laying down and curled up. Kiara padded after her adoptive cubs and laid down to sleep. Rina darted over to Tamu and curled up, hoping her younger friends wouldn't worry too much.

* * *

"Kigeni! Do you see what trouble you've caused?" Terron roared.

The injured lioness scrabbled backwards. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't meant to-"

"Shut your mouth. I don't want to hear your whiny excuses," he growled, unsheathing his claws and stalking forwards.

Kigeni's eyes went wide and she froze. "B-but, your majesty, your son, wh-"

She was cut short in a scream of pain as Terron's claws struck her shoulder, tearing four scratches into her skin and drawing blood. "He is no longer your concern. I told you I'd use my claws next time."

The lioness whimpered, now lying on the ground, trying to hold back her tears. She didn't respond, knowing better than to say anything else.

Kivuli stalked into the den, her wounds from earlier already cleaned, and with Gazi following behind her. "Terron, dear, I thought you'd be done with your punishments by now" she yawned, sitting down, her tail flicking back and forth.

"Not quite. Gazi, come here." Terron beckoned his son over. The eager young cub darted over to join his father and looked down at Kigeni with disgust. "You see what happens to lionesses who disobey?"

"Yeah, but what's that gotta do with anything?" Gazi rolled his eyes boredly.

"You should know how to punish those under your rule. That is all. For now." Terron growled, turning around and padding away. "Kigeni, get out."

Kigeni scrabbled to her feet and darted away before the king could change his mind. She didn't want to be punished anymore.

"Dear, why give them so much time? Why not just take them out now?" Kivuli asked, curling up in her usual spot in the den.

"I'd like for my children to choose to join us. Some of the rest of their friends would follow, and our strength would grow. There's no need to kill potential subjects until they prove to be enemies, only good for training drills."

"Hmm. Makes sense, I suppose."

"Good. Now, make sure our son is comfortable and then get some sleep. We have more training to do tomorrow."

Kivuli shifted to let Gazi curl up beside her before the little family drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **AN: And that's all for now. If anyone is wondering while I still won't have a regular update schedule, I will try to be updating my stories in the order of Vitani's Plan, Pride War, and then Lion King 3 before cycling back. As always constructive criticism is greatly appreciated and I love reviews! Thanks for reading!**


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